[iwar] [fc:Two.Top.Senators.Lash.Out.at.Saudis,.Egypt]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-22 06:45:12
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 06:45:12 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: [iwar] [fc:Two.Top.Senators.Lash.Out.at.Saudis,.Egypt]
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              Two Top Senators Lash Out at Saudis, Egypt
                    October 21, 2001 11:55 AM ET
                            By Sue Pleming

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two influential U.S. senators lambasted Saudi
Arabia and Egypt Sunday, accusing them of not doing enough in
America's war against terrorism and of supporting some extremist
groups in their own countries.
Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican, and Democratic Sen. Joseph
Lieberman of Connecticut, said the two Arab nations had to decide
whether they were "with or against" America following the Sept. 11
aerial assaults on New York and Washington.
"They (Saudi Arabia) have been playing, as well as Egypt and a couple
of other countries, a kind of a double game here," said Arizona Sen.
John McCain, in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."
McCain, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee,
said Saudi Arabia and Egypt had satisfied extremists within their own
countries by allowing them to "have the megaphone" and had also
financed some of these groups.
"They are kind of trying to have it both ways. I don't think they can
and it's very sad," added McCain.
Lieberman, who heads the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, said
on the same program that Egypt and Saudi Arabia should take note of
President Bush's statement to Congress on Sept. 20 when he told
nations they were either "with us or against us" in the war on
terrorism.
"From the Saudis' point of view, as John (McCain) has suggested, they
follow the strategy where, I think, they can ride the back of this
tiger. This tiger, if they continue to try to ride its back, is going
to eat them up," said Lieberman, the Democratic vice presidential
nominee last year.
POWELL SAYS SAUDI ARABIA AND EGYPT SHOWN SUPPORT
U.S. diplomats have been loathe to publicly criticize Arab allies,
many of whom face noisy opposition in their own countries for
America's raids on Afghanistan, where Saudi-born dissident Osama bin
Laden and his al Qaeda network are based.
Bin Laden, who has urged Muslims to "rise to defend" their religion,
is the chief suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks, when hijacked planes
were rammed into the World Trade Center in New York and a wing of the
Pentagon in Washington. Around 5,400 people died in the attacks.
Asked to comment on McCain's harsh words about Saudi Arabia and Egypt,
Secretary of State Colin Powell told "Fox New Sunday:" "They are with
us. I mean both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have responded to every request
we have made of them."
Powell said there was dissent within both countries and it was not the
role of the United States to tell them to "muzzle those who are
speaking out against us."
"I think if we want them to be the kind of nations and lands that we
preach about, we have to expect that if there is another point of view
within that country that differs from the official point of view of
the government, you have to give it the opportunity to be expressed,"
he said.
Lieberman pointed out that one of bin Laden's chief goals was to
overthrow the Saudi royal family and put in his "own form of fanatical
Islam."
Bin Laden, furious at the U.S. troop presence in Saudi Arabia, was
stripped of his Saudi citizenship in 1994 for alleged activities
against the royal family.
Egypt has long tried to contain Islamic militant activity within its
borders.
Bush and senior government officials have stressed consistently the
war against terrorism is not a battle against Islam or any other
religion.
McCain said Saudi Arabia and Egypt should make an effort to point out
to their populations that the United States had helped Muslims in
three recent conflicts -- in the Gulf War, in Kosovo and in Bosnia.
"We sided with the Muslims, the Saudi people should know that and in
the Middle East," said McCain.
The United States has detained several Saudi citizens since the Sept.
11 attacks and U.S. and other Western officials believe many of those
who carried out the aerial assaults were Saudis.
Saturday, Saudi Arabia said it had found no evidence that Saudi
citizens were connected to the Sept. 11 attacks, but was still waiting
for information from Washington.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef also dismissed reports of a split
in the Saudi government over the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan and said
the kingdom's security was secure.

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